Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has written to six Democratic lawmakers who urged military personnel to ‘refuse illegal orders,’ demanding specifics on which orders they deemed unlawful. The lawmakers, including Sens. Elissa Slot, Mark Kelly, and Reps. Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan, did not clarify in their viral video which orders they believed were illegal. Graham, a former Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG), emphasized the gravity of the issue and asked for clear examples of unlawful orders, particularly those from President Trump’s administration.
This comes amid heightened scrutiny over the legality of Trump’s military actions, including strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and the deployment of the National Guard to areas like Chicago. Graham’s letters, along with responses from other lawmakers, have intensified debates over military discipline and the legal responsibilities of service members. The video, which has become a focal point of political discourse, was created to address concerns raised by service members about being asked to carry out actions that violate the law, such as crowd control or detaining American citizens.
Lawmakers like Slotkin, who previously worked for the CIA, have explained that the video was a response to service members expressing fear about being ordered to perform tasks that could be legally questionable. Her office pointed Fox News to an interview where she clarified that the video was intended to guide service members on how to handle situations where they might be asked to act in ways that conflict with their legal obligations. However, the lack of specific examples remains a point of contention, especially as the debate over military ethics and legal adherence continues to evolve in Congress.